Fly-tipped waste blocks rural unlit road

Councillor James Mustoe is asking anyone with information about the waste to come forward

A fly-tipper could have caused "a serious accident" when they dumped a fridge, washing machine, oven and rubber tyres on a rural road in Cornwall, a councillor has said.

The commercial waste has been dumped on a road near Tregiskey and The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

James Mustoe, the Conservative councillor for Mevagissey and St Austell Bay, said the waste had completely blocked the "narrow, rural, unlit road".

He reported the incident to Cornwall Council for clearance and asked anyone who had information about the perpetrator to contact the local authority, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Mustoe said: “I’ve had several pieces of intel come back to me about where it may have come from, etc, which I have passed back to the relevant folk."

He added he had spoken to a waste management company "and apparently they are en-route to clear it this morning, which is within the 48 hours that they have to clear fly-tipping once it is reported".

Earlier this year, five police and crime commissioners in the South West welcomed bigger fines for people who fly-tip rubbish.

They wrote to the then environment minister, Therese Coffey, about the issue, calling for the introduction of a waste crime offenders' list and for repeat offenders to be given greater fines.

The government confirmed the maximum fixed penalty for small-scale fly-tipping would rise from £400 to £1,000.